Overview
Have you always wanted to get hands on experience working with big cats, but only have a short time left on your holiday? Then come and volunteer at Cheetah Experience!
We understand that sometimes you don’t have enough time during your holiday to volunteer for extended periods of time, but you still want to make a difference. That’s why Cheetah Experience offers the Volunteer for a Day programme, which give short-stay travellers the unique opportunity to get hands on experience working with amazing endangered and threatened species, make a positive impact in our animals lives, and contribute to conservation in Africa.
What are the requirements to volunteer?
You do not need any previous experience working with animals, only a big heart and love for animals. There are a number of special Volunteer for a Day packages we offer, depending on how much time you have to volunteer with us, and whether you require accommodation.
What you'll do
You’ll work closely with a number of amazing endangered and threatened species, including the cheetah, leopards, male lions, a Siberian tiger, bat eared foxes, caracals and servals. Our experienced team of staff will be there to support you every step of the way, and strive to give you the best possible experience during your time with us.
We have a number of areas you can get involved with during your stay, including Animal Care and Conservation Education.
On a normal day, there’s plenty of hands-on activities you will be involved in, and you’ll work closely with our staff in completing a number of tasks including:
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Cleaning enclosures and refilling water bowls
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Preparing and feeding food to our animals – they are carnivores, so this involves handling raw meat!
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Working as a team to complete various group activities, including building structures for our animals, maintenance of enclosures and enrichment activities
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Planning and helping with animal enrichment (walks, treats, toys etc.)
Depending on your ability level, there are plenty of ways to help during a typical day, including assisting with the care of our animals and preparing enrichment for our animals.
What are the working hours?
Being a part of this programme, we give you the freedom and flexibility to volunteer with us when you can.
We understand that many travellers have limited time to volunteer, so our Volunteer for a Day team often won’t work the usual hours that our staff and volunteers work.
A typical day usually starts early in the mornings, between 7am – 8am (depending on the time of year), and finishes in the late afternoon, between 5pm – 6pm (depending on the time of year). You will have plenty of time during the day to spend with our animals and get to know their individual personalities.
For more information request an information pack >
Your Impact
Cheetah Experience wouldn’t be able to do the conservation work it does without the help of our hard-working, dedicated volunteers. Everything you do as a volunteer has a positive impact on our animals lives, and our animals say thank you by the love and affection they give to you.
We understand that volunteers might have skills and expertise in a number of other areas non-related to Animal Care and Conservation, including Carpentry, Sustainability, Tourism and Business. We like to utilise our volunteer’s natural skills and abilities, so any additional help in these areas helps our project greatly.
Being a non-profit organisation with no government funding, the tireless work our volunteers do helps us keep our animals happy, healthy and enriched. The generosity of our Global Volunteer Family, current volunteers, sponsors and visitors to our project allow Cheetah Experience to source the best possible food for our animals, purchase enrichment items for our animals, cover veterinary expenses and build and improve our animal’s enclosures to provide them with the best possible care.
Note:
The ‘Volunteer for a Day’ programme is only available to visitors 18 years or older, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Day volunteer costs
There are a number of Volunteer for a Day packages we offer, depending on how much time you have to volunteer with us, and whether you require accommodation. The cost to volunteer, dependant on the duration of you stay, is listed below.
All pricing is in South African Rand.
Volunteer for a day
Cost: R1,270.00 a day (18+ years old)
Included: A home-cooked lunch
Two-day Volunteer Experience (excluding accommodation)
Cost: R2,310
Included: A home-cooked lunch on both days (except on Sundays when all volunteers buy or cook their own lunch on this day).
Two-day Volunteer Experience (including 1-night accommodation)
Cost: 3,367.00
Included: All accommodation, bedding, breakfast ,and a home-cooked lunch (except on Sundays when all volunteers buy or cook their own lunch on this day).
Extras and upgrades
If you wish to stay for extra days and/or nights, we can accommodate you at an additional fee. We also have the option to upgrade your accommodation to a private unit so you can enjoy the volunteer experience and have the option to retire to the privacy of your own accommodation at night.
Cheetah Experience relies on conservation travellers like you to support our project in its continual development through your hard work, dedication and donations. All funds from our volunteer programme are used to feed our animals, veterinary expenses, maintenance and improvements on our animal’s homes, and purchasing of equipment used for enrichment activities.
Accommodation (if required)
For the Two-day Volunteer Experience
As a volunteer, you’ll be staying in our Volunteer House nearby Cheetah Experience, which can accommodate up to 21 volunteers. You’ll share this house with volunteers and interns from all corners of the globe, so there’ll be plenty of time to get to know one another over a braai (which is Afrikaans for ‘barbecue’), or relax in peace with a coffee in the mornings.
Click for more accommodation information at Cheetah Experience
Location Information
Cheetah Experience is located in central South Africa, on the outskirts of a town called Bela Bela. Our project is surrounded by mostly farmland and a game reserve. We are about 10-minutes drive from Bela Bela town centre, and are a 10-minute drive from local shopping centres and restaurants.
Click for more information on how to get here and what temperatures to expect at different times of the year.
